The San Antonio redistricting committee that was tasked with redrawing a new city council district map has finalizeda draft. The committee met for six months to craft the distribution of the city’s population at an even 10% for each district.
The distribution was needed after a 2020 Census showed that San Antonio's population grew by more than 100,000 people since the 2010 census.
The redistribution will unify Brackenridge Park in District 1 after two failed proposals to keep part of the park in District 2 — home to a majority of Black residents. Residents near the park who oppose the move will continue to fight to have the move back to District 2 in the community meeting.
Portions of District 7 on the Northwest side of San Antonio, south of Balcones Heights and west of Fredericksburg Road, will be represented by District 1. This will be the third decade in a row that the Maverick area will change districts.
Final touches of the proposed map have been completed, but residents who still oppose the proposed changes have a chance to voice their concerns before city council votes on the final map. The next community meeting is June 7 at 6 p. m. San Antonio City Council is expected to vote on the redistricting map on June 16.
Brackenridge park is now located in a single district, how will the move affect residents who live near it? What is the end result after months of planning? Which communities have new representation?
Did the district committee see to it that there was fair representation in each district? What efforts did the committee make to ensure there was no gerrymandering involved in the process?
Guests:
- Bonnie Prosser Elder, co-chair of San Antonio's redistricting advisory committee, and general counsel and senior vice president for VIA Metropolitan Transit
- Rogelio Saenz, Ph.D., co-chair of San Antonio's redistricting advisory committee, and demography professor at University of Texas at San Antonio
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*This interview was recorded on Tuesday, June 7.